Topic Guides
Two hub guides that cover SolidWorks and AutoCAD automation end to end: which layer solves which job, which language to pick, and the order to read the articles in.
The articles on this site each answer one question: how to run a macro, how to load an AutoLISP file, how to set up batch processing. The guides sit one layer above them — they define the term, compare the layers, and sequence the articles into a learning order. Coming to a subject cold, read the guide first and then the articles it links to.
Both guides draw the same line: is this work done by one person, or will a team use it? Work that stays on one desk is served by a recorded macro or a LISP routine. Once the same work spreads across a team, needs an interface and has to be versioned, it is time to move to .NET — a C# add-in in SolidWorks, a .NET/ObjectARX plugin and a .bundle package in AutoCAD.
The guides make no new claims of their own: they give definitions, comparisons and a route. Everything that rests on experience stays in the articles and the project case studies, and the guide links out to them.
| The work in front of you | Guide |
|---|---|
| 3D parts and assemblies, drawings, custom property fields, batch PDF output | SolidWorks Automation |
| Adding a team-wide tool with a real interface to SolidWorks (C# add-in) | SolidWorks Automation |
| Generating variants in bulk from a spreadsheet or data list (Python / pywin32) | SolidWorks Automation |
| 2D DWG drawings, block and layer housekeeping, repetitive drafting routines | AutoCAD Automation |
| Adding a new command to AutoCAD, loading a LISP file automatically | AutoCAD Automation |
| Shipping a plugin to a team without an installer (.bundle) | AutoCAD Automation |
Macros, API and Add-ins — A Complete Guide
Telling the macro, API and add-in layers apart; a learning order for writing macros; batch work with Python; and the move from a macro to a versioned product.
Read the guideAutoLISP, Plugins and Bundles — A Complete Guide
The threshold where AutoLISP gives way to .NET; adding a new command to AutoCAD; loading a LISP file and starting it automatically; packaging a plugin as a .bundle.
Read the guideStart with SolidWorks Automation: the macro / API / add-in split works the same way on the AutoCAD side, and the AutoCAD guide adds AutoLISP and the packaging layer on top of it. If your work is purely 2D drafting, go straight to AutoCAD Automation.